


When All Is Said And Done

by BucxyBxrnes



Category: MCU, Marvel, The Avengers
Genre: Multi, Post endgame depression, endgame spoilers, im in denial, no one dies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-07 07:25:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18615925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BucxyBxrnes/pseuds/BucxyBxrnes
Summary: CONTAINS ENDGAME SPOILERS!!!After seeing Endgame, I have decided that it didn’t happen and I will take it upon myself to fix it and restore the balance to the universe. If anyone actually reads this and wants something to happen (or not happen) I’d be glad to see if I could work it into the story





	1. Chapter 1

They won. But at what cost? Who did they step on to come out on top?  
As the ever-growing team of Avengers stood on the battlefield, suddenly a lot less crowded, they were conflicted with emotion. Thanos and his army were gone for good, but so were a few fellow teammates. 

Peter Parker stood just feet from his mentor turned father-figure, Pepper Potts just in front of him. Tony sat surrounded by his family, knowing that they had won and they would be okay. He could drift off peacefully now. The last thing he saw was his beloved wife’s smiling face, and his kid, who he fought so hard for to get back. As his arc reactor stopped glowing, and his body went limp, he was finally gone. It was over.

Or so he thought


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bad word

Darkness. All Tony could see was, well, nothing. He felt as if he was drowning, his lungs compressing so much it was almost unbearable.  
Suddenly, as if a switch was flipped, he heard roaring from above him. He was laying on the ground, in his Iron Man suit. Surrounding him was chaos, but it was somehow so familiar he felt as if he’s been here before.  
Finally becoming aware of his surroundings, he jolted, now completely awake. 

“What the Hell?” he asks. Realization hit him and suddenly he was panicking. Seeing Steve, Thor, and the Hulk all standing over him, he was terrified. 

“What just happened” Tony’s beginning to hyperventilate now, utterly confused and helpless. 

It’s all coming back to him now, when just moments before, he had drifted off into nothing, and now he’s back, before everything went wrong. It was unbelievable.  
They’re all staring at him now, waiting for one of those trademark Tony lines. 

“Please tell me no one kissed me.” Steve grinned at this.  
Let’s be honest, Tony’s not an expert on time and traveling through it. He’s not sure if he should stick to the script or improvise, so he just plays it safe and says exactly what he said before.  
Steve glances at him with, is that adoration? Tony hasn’t seen Steve look at him like that in forever.  
“We won” Steve looks away, a glint of pride in his eyes. 

“All right. Hurray! Good job guys. Let’s not come in tomorrow, let’s just take a day. You Ever tried Shawarma?” 

 

A week had passed and Tony was trying to figure out what had happened, and more importantly, what he should do.

He knows everything that’s going to happen. Certainly if he was sent back, it was for a reason. Could the reason be to stop all of the horrible things that had happened to the Avengers? Or was the universe just fucking with him and wanted him to live through it all again?  
Tony hoped it was the former. 

So he got to work.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Steve have a small “chat”

As Tony started to plan out the fate of the world itself, he felt so extremely confident. It was like he finally got what he wanted, a fresh start, a chance to undo all of his wrongs. It was a gift. 

Seeing the Avengers like this again, their eyes full of life, Tony felt young again. He never realized how much he missed the good old days until he left them. Now, he wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

And seeing Natasha again. It really pulled on Tony’s heart. She had changed so much in her years as an Avenger. As a hero. He wanted to tell her how amazing she was, how she literally saved the world, his world. He thought he actually might at some point. 

 

Tony spent a majority of his time working on his suits, advancing them even faster, since he’s done this before.   
He was elbow deep in circuits and hardware when Steve walked into his workspace. 

“Hey Tony,” he sighs hesitantly. “The team and I have noticed this,” he gestured to the room. “You locking yourself away. Care to tell me why?” He said, standing in the doorway, arms crossed in his mom pose. 

In the “past” I guess you could call it, Tony locked himself away because of all the trauma that came with the battle of New York, but he’s mostly over that now. When once, he was kept awake because he dare not face his nightmares; now he chooses to stay awake, holding onto the hope that this world could be saved. 

But he certainly couldn’t tell him that. He would sound way crazier than normal. So he settled for the simplest excuse. 

“Oh not much to it Captain. Just preparing for what’s to come, our next big fight. We don’t know what we’re gonna piss off next, so we oughta be ready.” Even though Tony did know what was coming next, it still wasn’t far from the truth. 

Steve sighed again, he really likes to do that. “I’d like to believe you Tony, I really would. But I can tell it’s deeper than that. I understand you’re not ready, so you can tell me when you want. Just,” he pauses “Know we’re all here for you.” With that, and a soft nod, he walked back the way he came. 

‘Great,’ Tony thought, ‘guess I’m not as good at keeping secrets as I thought.’


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nat and Tony talk on the balcony

It had been a little over 6 months since he ‘came back,’ Tony had fought the Mandarin without any major complications. He decided to at least let this happen just to keep this timeline fairly similar to the other one. Tony has decided to call it another timeline, since he didn’t really know what it was, other than a second chance. 

He’d been spending more time with the old team, now that he felt a bit more relaxed about the whole situation. Movie nights had become a weekly occurrence, which was a good thing for everyone involved. 

On one particular night, they were watching ‘Kill Bill’ as recommended by Clint. Getting bored quickly, since he’s seen this movie too many times to count, Tony snuck out onto the balcony to think and appreciate the calmness of the city.   
Hearing the sliding door swiftly but quietly open and close, he turned his head ever so slightly to see who it was.   
“So this is where you went,” Nat said as she walked up next to the railing beside Tony. “I didn’t hear from you for a while. Now I know why.”

Tony smiled softly, his soft-spot for the ex-assassin ever growing. “Guess I got tired of hearing Clint’s snoring.” He turned to face her, “has he ever stayed awake for a whole movie?”   
“Only when we watched ‘Oceans 8,’ other than that, he’s never lasted 20 minutes.” Natasha chuckled softly, thinking of her best friend. 

Tony slipped into deep thought after that, going back to what he was thinking about before Nat joined him. She glanced over at him, seeing him staring off into the distance “Whatcha thinking about?” And she followed his eyes into the distance. 

Quickly snapping back, he replied, “oh just the normal stuff. How far we’ve come, where we’re going next. The team.” He hesitated. “Mostly you” Tony said in almost a whisper, looking away.   
To say Natasha was surprised was a bit of an understatement. Her curiosity got the better of her and she asked, “what exactly about me, Tony?” fearing the answer. 

The genius glanced over at his teammate. “I don’t really think you’d understand, or anyone for that matter.”   
“Try me” her lips tugged at the sides, her eyes sparkling curiously. 

 

Tony took a slow, deep breath, attempting anything to slow his heart rate. After a few moments, he felt ready enough. “Do you ever worry about what’s gonna come for us next? How we could die at any moment from anything?” He took a shaky breath. “Because I do. Probably too much, now that I think about it.” 

They were facing each other now, eye contact never breaking. Tony’s eyes courageous but still had that lingering fear. Natasha on the other hand, her eyes showed only confusion. She didn’t know what to say, so she just gave tony a small nod, urging him to keep going. 

“And to be honest, the reason I’m so,” He struggles to find the right words “afraid; I’m afraid because I do know what’s coming next. And if I don’t stop it,” his breathing picked up. “That’s on me” he pointed to his chest, poking his arc reactor. Natasha has thought she knew what he’s was going to say, but evidently not. 

“What do you mean,” she screwed her eyes shut for a second, “you know what’s coming? Tony, you’re not making any sense.”  
The genius scoffed, expecting that reaction from her. “I shouldn’t have told you even that much.” But Nat was already too invested in what was plaguing Tony’s thoughts. 

“No, keep going. I want to know what’s up with you, and if I have to risk being confused doing it, so be it.” Her joking tone lightened the mood a bit.   
As Tony began gathering his thoughts, Nat realized he looked more apprehensive than she’s ever seen him. In an attempt to comfort him, she put her hand softly on his shoulder. 

 

“All of this, everything that’s happening,” tony was scared to continue, but continued nonetheless. “It’s already happened- well, for me anyway. For the rest of you, this is your first rodeo.”  
He took Natasha silences as a que to continue. “When I woke up, after New York, I wasn’t supposed to be there, not this me anyway.” Tony looked away from her, too afraid of what he would see in her eyes. “Nat- I died. Or, I guess I will. I died surrounded by the team, I died happy,” Tony was pacing around. “but then I woke up here, and I don’t know what to do. I could let fate run its course, ruin so many lives in the process, or fix everything.” He took Natasha’s hand in his own. “And, god I don’t wanna tell you this. But- you died too Nat. You died saving the world. You finally wiped every last bit of red off your ledger.” 

Meeting Natasha’s eyes was harder than he imagined. Tears threatened to spill out at any moment. Her lip was quivering slightly, not wanting to believe what her friend had told her, or, maybe wanting to believe it too much. 

Tony continued, “you died a hero Nat, I was so proud of you.” He put his hands on either side of her. “I missed ya kid” Tony pulled her into one of the warmest and softest hugs she’s ever had the pleasure to experience. 

Natasha, starting to believe what Tony was saying, eagerly welcomed the hug and they stood there for what felt like an eternity, wrapped in eachothers arms. Both of them had needed some kind of affection in some way, shape, or form, and this was perfect for the both of them. 

Pulling away, Tony and Natasha look at eachother, tears now slowly spilling from their eyes. The former Russian spy wiped at her face, plastering a look of conviction on her features and said, “Tell me more.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this lil snippet of what’s to come


End file.
